4 Paws Blog

Thank you for the incredible show of support for Florian. His spirits (and ours) were uplifted by your love. As we stated in the original post, we have been working closely with the local Animal Control and law enforcement officials on this case. As such, we are not able to disclose very many details. However, we wanted to keep you updated to the best of our ability.

We can confirm that Florian is no longer in our care. A relative of the perpetrator contacted Animal Control and took custody of him. They were unaware that he was going to be abandoned and were extremely grateful for his safe capture and the care he received at Cape Ann Animal Aid. Florian was familiar with this individual and we believe that he is going to be happy and safe in this person’s care.

We will continue to work with local officials regarding charges that may be brought against the individual that made the careless and inhumane decision to abandon Florian. We made a decision to share this story publicly to spread awareness and promote healthy conversations about pet surrender. We thank you again for your suggestions, words of support, and continued friendship.

It’s been a stressful and nerve-wracking weekend here at Cape Ann Animal Aid and we wanted to tell you about it. But first, a quick note -- Our goal in sharing this story is to emphasize the importance of considering local shelters like Cape Ann Animal Aid a partner in the surrender process. We can only accept new animals when we have space available. Intakes (both local surrenders and all out-of-state transports) are done on an appointment basis. In some cases, appointments can be made for the same day and other times, space is not available for a few days or even weeks. Scheduled intake insures the safety and emotional well-being of all the animals in our care. Regardless, our goal is to always to treat the animals and pet owners with respect, doing all we can to address difficult situations with sensitivity and care.

On Friday morning, a pet owner arrived at Cape Ann Animal Aid with their cat in a carrier. They needed to surrender the cat but our shelter was completely full. If we had open space available, we would have been able to take in the cat that day, but since they needed immediate placement and could not wait, we offered to refer them to other facilities that might have more immediate space availability.

They did not start the surrender process nor did they accept our offer of referral. Instead, they became angry and abruptly left with the cat. They chose to stop their car halfway down Paws Lane and released the cat on the side of the road.

We were horrified and a few of our staff members ran to the scene. They could hear distressed meows but couldn’t see the cat.

We set traps and kept a watchful eye, hoping for a fast and happy outcome, a safe capture of this abandoned kitty.

It was a long day and an even longer night. We were terribly worried and heartsick.

The woods off Paws Lane, home to lots of wildlife.

Thankfully, on Saturday afternoon, we were able to catch the cat. Tired, hungry, and hot, he came right over to one of our staff members. He is now safe and has been examined by a vet. We are working closely with the local police department and animal control officers on this case.

The action taken by this pet owner was not humane and it was not legal. We wanted to share this story with you, our friends and supporters, to encourage healthy conversations about animal surrender and the importance of planning.

Where we found him, seeking shade in the flowers.

When an owner makes an irresponsible decision such as abandonment, we can only hope for an outcome like this. We were lucky to catch this cat and we will do all we can to make him feel safe and loved. While he is a little uneasy in the shelter and around the other cats, he is very sweet with people. We have named him 'Florian', the meaning of which is ‘blooming or flowering’. Florian was found safe among blooming flowers in our shelter garden and we hope that he will bloom and thrive while in our care. We will be sure to keep you updated on his status.

Florian loves people but is adjusting to the shelter.

If you or someone you know ever needs to surrender an animal, please refer them to our Pet Surrender webpage for resources, detailed information about our surrender process, and copies of our surrender questionnaires. It is our responsibility to insure that we have enough space and resources necessary to provide exceptional care to each animal in our protection. The waiting period before a scheduled intake can fluctuate from immediate intake to a few days or weeks. For those needing same-day placement when it is not possible, we will always refer or connect individuals to other facilities where space may be available. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us directly.